N.Y. man to serve 5 years for Byram pharmacy robbery

Updated 10:16 pm, Friday, April 15, 2011

John Pastore, of New Rochelle, N.Y., pleaded guilty Friday, April 15, 2011, in connection with the September 2010 robbery of Greenview Pharmacy in Byram.

John Pastore, of New Rochelle, N.Y., pleaded guilty Friday, April 15, 2011, in connection with the September 2010 robbery of Greenview Pharmacy in Byram.

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N.Y. man to serve 5 years for Byram pharmacy robbery

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STAMFORD -- A New Rochelle, N.Y., man charged with robbing a Byram pharmacy last year pleaded guilty Friday in state Superior Court and will serve five years in prison.

John Pastore, 30, entered the plea to the charge of first-degree robbery in connection with the September 2010 crime at Greenview Pharmacy. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped additional charges stemming from the robbery, including larceny and threatening offenses, as well as charges relating to a companion case.

Pastore had been facing forgery charges for using fake prescriptions to obtain narcotics from Grannick's Pharmacy in downtown Greenwich.

In addition to his five-year prison sentence, Pastore will also serve 10 years of special parole. He may also face violation-of-probation charges in New York, according to his lawyer, Barry Butler.

"He was at the very end of his probation," Butler explained. "They may not take any further action. They are going to decide based on what happens here."

Pastore was arrested by warrant in September 2010 just weeks after police responded to a robbery at the Greenview Pharmacy. Prosecutors described Friday how Pastore entered the store wielding a knife, jumped the counter and demanded OxyContin from two pharmacists.

"When he attempted to leave, a customer in the store tried to detain him," Senior Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Colangelo said. "The defendant dropped the drugs and left the store."

Police said the customer struck Pastore in the face several times during the altercation.

Police quickly identified Pastore as a suspect and later confirmed his identity with numerous witnesses, police said.

Pastore will undergo a pre-sentence investigation before he is formally sentenced in June. The results of the investigation could affect his sentence.

While Pastore's case is now resolved, police are still waiting to be able to charge a co-defendant in the robbery.

A second man, Eric Mansa, 31, of Tarrytown, N.Y., has also been identified by police for his alleged role in the knife-point robbery. Police hold an active warrant for his arrest. His role in the robbery has not been released.

Mansa was sentenced to a year in jail last month for forging a prescription in Tarrytown. Mansa faced numerous similar charges from other jurisdictions in New York, according to his criminal records. He cannot be charged in Greenwich until completing his sentence in New York.